One Sick Puppy
by Dr. Dredd
Summary: Trouble of the four legged kind! A dog's eye view of the events in The Storm and The Eye. WIP
1. Chapter 1

_Takes place immediately prior to and during The Storm/The Eye._

"You are one sick puppy, you know that?" said a voice with an unmistakable brogue as John Sheppard walked toward the infirmary. Great, thought John. That sounded potentially gross. Maybe he'd go see Carson later. He wasn't feeling that bad.

"It's never going to heal if you keep licking it like that." Yeah, that was definitely TMI. John was turning to leave when he heard a noise that he'd never thought to hear in the Pegasus galaxy. He quickly peeked into the infirmary to be confronted by the sight of their chief medical officer working on...

... a small puppy. John gaped at the brown and white animal that whimpered and wriggled on an exam table. Carson was just finishing applying a bandage to a cut on the pup's hind leg. The physician looked at John rather sheepishly and shrugged.

John raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess. This is your latest gene therapy protocol."

Carson rolled his eyes. "Hardly, son." He pointed to Jinto, who sat on a chair next to the exam table. "Halling and some of the other Athosians came to talk to Dr. Weir. Jinto asked me to take a look at this little fella."

John cocked his head at Jinto, who blushed. "So you just decided to bring your dog to Atlantis for a visit."

"It's not really a dog, Major," Carson said to divert attention from Jinto. "It has a prehensile tail and is more intelligent than most terrestrial canines. But it's quite friendly." He removed a piece of gauze from the puppy's mouth. "And very playful."

John was skeptical. "How do you know it's more intelligent? We've never seen anything like it."

"Because unlike some individuals that come through that door, Pete here actually listened to me."

For a moment John felt guilty. He'd ignored his friend's advice to take it easy after the mist creatures messed with their minds, and had subsequently "passed out" from dehydration and serotonin depletion. He knew he'd be hearing about it for awhile.

The guilt only lasted a moment, though. Then John did a double take. "Pete?" he asked incredulously. "And what do you mean, he listens?"

Jinto spoke up for the first time. "His real name's Petelon. In our language, it means 'curious.'"

Pete definitely displayed that characteristic. The pup eagerly sniffed at everything he could find. Fortunately for him, Carson had wisely placed all the sharp, pointy objects out of his reach. As John held out his hand for Pete to sniff, Carson jumped in again. "He does follow commands. He held still, and he was cooperative for the most part."

Privately, John wasn't convinced. Still didn't sound any different from a terrestrial dog. But he kept quiet, since both Carson and Jinto looked ready to defend their champion. So he just grinned and asked, "Has Grodin met his namesake yet?"

Carson sputtered, "Why, you cheeky..." Seeing Jinto, he quickly modified his language. "... little bugger. You know he isn't named after Dr. Grodin!"

"Uh-huh. And I'm sure he'll believe that." John turned around so that Carson couldn't see, and winked at Jinto.

The Scot sighed. "Major, how is it that every time you come in here, I get a headache? No, don't answer that!" he said quickly. He put a hand on John's shoulder and steered him towards the back of the infirmary. "I'm sure you're here for a reason. What's wrong with ya this time?"

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Jinto was bored. The trip to the city of the Ancestors had been fun at first. He and his father got to fly over the ocean in the Atlantean craft, and it had been no trouble to sneak Pete on board hidden in his baggy coat. But once they reached the city, things got less interesting. He had wanted to show Pete to Teyla, but learned that she was about to leave with Major Sheppard on some mission. His father left him in the quarters they used to share with a warning to stay out of trouble, so he and the pup wrestled for awhile. That was staying out of trouble! Except for the broken... thing that used to sit on a table.

Unfortunately, the unknown object had smashed into numerous sharp-edged fragments. After taking care of business on a pad Jinto had laid out for that purpose, Pete wandered over and accidentally cut his leg. Jinto had frantically tried to stop the flow of blood while Pete howled piteously, but soon realized that he wasn't going to be able to fix this on his own. He didn't know what to do at first, but then remembered the kind man in the white smock who'd asked them questions and poked them with pointy metal sticks. Teyla had called him a doctor. Maybe he would know what to do.

Someone had helpfully pointed Jinto in the right direction, and Pete was okay now. But since Major Sheppard and the doctor had disappeared, there wasn't anything else to do. Jinto decided that there wouldn't be any harm in looking at the little machines with the blinking lights that sat on a storage cart in the corner. He turned away from Pete and went to check them out.

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Before Jinto and Pete arrived, Carson had also been bored. Rodney was studying the data device taken from the Genii and had barely left the lab for the last several days. John was also nowhere to be found. In other words, it was quiet.

Some of his more superstitious friends from residency would have told him not to use the "q" word, since all hell tended to break loose after that. Carson didn't believe in such nonsense, which was why he nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the high-pitched whining. After a minute, he realized it wasn't Rodney, and hurried into the main treatment area.

He had barely been able to believe the sight that greeted him. The young Athosian lad, Jinto, was holding a puppy that couldn't be more than a few months old. The pup, who was the source of all the noise, was bleeding briskly from a small but deep cut on one of his hind legs. Poor Jinto looked frantic as he tried to help his friend.

Carson had grown up on a small farm, so he had some experience with animal care. "James Herriot, I'm not, though." he muttered. He also knew that he would be the butt of countless jokes if either Rodney or John caught him practicing veterinary medicine.

"What's this, then?" Carson asked, grinning as he reached out to gently stroke the soft fur. The dog immediately tried to lick his face, getting blood on his uniform top in the process. "Settle, easy does it," he said soothingly. "Let's just get you up on one of these tables." Carson stopped in surprise as the pup launched itself unerringly out of Jinto's arms and onto an exam bed, steadying itself by wrapping its tail around the back of a chair.

"It's almost like the little guy understood me!" Carson exclaimed. "Jinto, where did you get this wee puppy?"

"We used these dogs to guard our old homes. Some managed to bring them with us when we left." The boy looked sad for a moment, then brightened. "Pete is one of the first puppies born on this world!" Before Carson could respond, Pete started to attack the pillow sitting at the head of the table. "Stop that!" Jinto said. Carson could swear the dog looked disappointed, but it stopped.

"All of my patients should be this easy to deal with," Carson said under his breath. "Hold him still while I take a look at this, will you?" The wound had stopped bleeding, but was still too deep for the physician's liking. Probably best to just throw in a few stitches. Carson explained to Jinto what he was going to do. The boy looked a little green, but nodded.

Carson filled a syringe with local anesthetic and quickly injected it into the dog's leg, steeling himself against the resulting yelp. "We'll give this a few minutes to take effect. Ya shouldn't be feeling anything else, lad." He scratched Pete behind the ears, and the dog closed its eyes in contentment.

"Do you have animals like Pete back on Earth?" Jinto asked.

"Aye. They come in all shapes and sizes, too. We had two of them when I was growing up," Carson said wistfully, thinking of his parents and the simple farm life.

"Did they protect you from bad things like the Wraith?"

"They did guard our house," Carson said. "But they also herded sheep." As he spoke, he began flushing the laceration with sterile water. Then he carefully sutured the cut closed. After three stitches, he applied antibiotic ointment and covered the entire area with a bandage. Jinto watched, fascinated in spite of himself.

Carson turned away to dispose of used gauze and suture material, but when he turned back Pete was worrying at the bandage with his teeth. Although Jinto tried to stop the pup, he quickly ripped the bandage away. "I thought you were supposed to be intelligent," Carson scolded. "You are one sick puppy, you know that?"

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Now Carson found himself dealing with Major Sheppard. "It doesn't sound too serious, since your headaches don't last long. They may still be an aftereffect of those mist creatures. But if they don't stop in a day or two, we'll need to work this up further."

John nodded. "Thanks. I'm about to go with Teyla to do an aerial survey of a part of the mainland that might be a good spot for a second settlement. I don't want to run into any trouble."

Major Sheppard, acting responsibly? The physician supposed there was a first time for everything.

"So what's with Rin Tin Tin out there?" John asked suddenly. Carson chuckled and explained what had happened. John shook his head. "Never a dull moment around here. But how did Jinto get from his quarters to the infirmary carrying a crying, bleeding dog without anyone noticing?"

"Let's face it, Major. Compared to some of the things we've seen around here, a dog is completely unremarkable."

"Good point."

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It was now Pete's turn to be bored. The two-legged creatures had disappeared. There were plenty of interesting-looking things here, but he couldn't reach any of them. He also couldn't figure out where any of the neat smells were coming from. On the positive side, at least his leg was feeling better. He decided he'd go exploring to see if he could find someone or something else to play with.

Pete stood up on the exam table and walked stiffly toward the edge. Using his front paws and his tail, he jumped from the table to a chair and down to the ground. Nose to the floor, he snuffled his way to the infirmary door. No one noticed as he wandered out and went away down the hall.

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As Carson and John walked into the main treatment area of the infirmary, Carson handed the pilot a small bottle of pills. "These will help if your headaches last longer than a few minutes, and they won't make you drowsy. But remember, I want to know immediately if they start to get worse or if they don't go away."

"Um, Carson? Does Dr. Weir know that there's an Athosian dog in the city?"

"I haven't had a chance to tell her yet. Why?" Carson asked, confused at the abrupt change of subject.

John pointed at the unoccupied exam table. "I think she's going to find out pretty soon."

"Bloody hell."

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The puddlejumper flew towards the mainland. John had beat a hasty retreat after learning of the runaway puppy. He didn't want to be around when Elizabeth started yelling. Turning to Teyla, he asked how her people were doing. She told him they were fine, but suddenly appeared distracted by something in the distance. "Do you see that?"

John followed her gaze and swallowed hard. "That _can't_ be a storm – it stretches across the whole horizon."

"I've never seen something like that from so high."

"I've seen a lot of things from this altitude, but nothing like that. Atlantis base, this is Jumper One. We're gonna change our heading to investigate a storm."

TBC

_What do you think so far? Please R&R_


	2. Chapter 2

Carson stared disgustedly at John's back as the Major hurried out of the infirmary. "Coward," he thought. As soon as the man realized that Pete was missing and that Elizabeth might find out, he'd found a lame excuse and conveniently vanished. Carson shook his head. Both leaders could be bloody idiots at times. Anyone with half a brain (with the possible exception of Rodney, whose social skills could rival those of a sea slug) could see that John and Elizabeth were attracted to each other. The only ones who weren't aware were the individuals in question. Though, considering the prospect of Elizabeth Weir discovering a mischievous alien puppy doing God-knows-what, perhaps John's disappearing act wasn't such a bad idea.

Carson turned to Jinto. "All right. We've got to find your little buddy quickly, before he gets into trouble. Any ideas where he might have gone?"

At that moment, Jinto's stomach rumbled. He was hungry, having not eaten anything since before leaving the mainland. The same thought occurred to the man and the boy at the same time, and they headed towards the mess hall.

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Pete couldn't believe his incredible good luck. After sneaking out of the infirmary, he had wandered down the long halls and quickly lost track of the twists and turns he had taken. But he was too distracted by what he had found to mind very much.

Pete was standing in the corner of a large room that smelled like food. Although there were many of the large, two-legged creatures, none had noticed him yet. Most were sitting at long tables, but a few were standing by a counter that was the source of the tantalizing odors.

The puppy was hungry. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten, and his belly hurt! Surely no one would mind if he took just a tiny snack. But just to be sure, he would try not to let anyone see him.

Pete began to move towards the counter with the food. As he passed under the tables, he could hear fragments of conversations.

"... Athosian women are pretty hot... What? There's no harm in just looking."

"... kind of a hardass, but nothing like Sumner..."

"... McKay is such a jerk. Just for once I'd like to win an argument with him."

"Yeah. Or if not, then to glue his mouth shut..."

The floor under most of the tables was pretty clean, but Pete was able to grab a few scraps. This only whetted his appetite, but fortunately he was approaching his goal. He squirmed into a corner between the counter and the wall and found himself staring out at a pair of shoes. Their owner was saying, in a whiny voice, "What do you mean you're out of beef stew?"

"I'm sorry, Dr. Kavanagh. You should have come earlier."

"Don't you tell me what I should have done! You should have been keeping track of the supply."

The server shrugged. "We've still got these root veggies."

Pete wondered what root veggies were. Maybe something like that plant thing over there? He edged out to get a closer look.

"Jesus Christ!" yelled the whiny voice as the pair of shoes jumped back. Pete looked up to see that the pair of shoes were connected to a pair of legs, which in turn were connected to a large body covered by a white coat. A face surrounded by hair pulled back in a pony-tail glared down at him.

Pete yelped loudly, his tail tucked between his legs. He darted around the shoes and headed for a door at the rear of the kitchen, stopping only to grab the "root veggie" in his mouth.

"What the hell?" gasped the server.

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As they approached the mess hall, Carson and Jinto could hear the commotion inside. "I think we're too late, lad." Carson whispered. The two of them peeked into the room. A crowd was gathered next to the serving counter. To Carson's disgust, Kavanagh was in the middle of it.

"I don't know what it was!" Kavanagh snapped. "Looked like some kind of rat."

"Actually, I thought it looked more like a dog," put in the young man who had been serving food, earning a look of contempt from the pony-tailed scientist.

A woman's voice spoke up. It took Carson a moment to place it as Dr. Simpson's. "I saw it, too. It was definitely a dog." It was now her turn to glare. "I can't believe you kicked a little puppy!"

"Hey, I didn't kick it!" Kavanagh held up his hands, aware of the hostility now being directed at him.

"That's only because it moved too fast for your foot to actually connect with it!" retorted Simpson. Realizing that they had just missed finding their wayward pup, Carson and Jinto backed away, leaving Kavanagh to his well-earned trouble.

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Pete padded cheerfully down another of the endless corridors. Although he had not been physically injured by the mean two-legged thing, his feelings had been hurt. But he felt better now that he had tracked the man's scent to where he lived. Revenge was sweet! Now he was ready to continue exploring.

Pete made his way to a truly cavernous room. Several large, rectangular boxes lay around the room, one of which looked like it had partially exploded. Wires were springing out of one entire wall, and many strange pieces of metal lay next to it.

Another of the two-legged ones was lying half in, half out of the box. He wore round, shiny things over his eyes, and the fur on the top of his head seemed to have a mind of its own. Right now, he was making odd noises that Pete could not completely understand.

"Yes, McKay, I am trying to repair the jumper. No, I don't need your help at the moment." There was a pause, then, "It's Zelenka! Z-E-L-E-N-K-A! Pitomec! You are not only one with technical skill. You are, however, only one without social skill." There was another pause, during which Pete could faintly hear another voice yelling. Then the first voice said, "Enough. I will not break your precious jumpers. Go back to doing... whatever it is you do to justify your existence."

Before Pete could hide, the man stood up and caught sight of him. "My God! I don't believe it. A dog!" He moved to pet Pete, who jumped back. "Don't worry, little one. I'm not going to hurt you." The man crouched down and extended his hand. After a moment, Pete cautiously crept forward to sniff at it. Deciding the man could be trusted, he gave the fingers a quick lick.

The man, whose name apparently was Z-E-L-E-N-K-A, grinned and reached out again to pet him. "I did not think to ever see puppy again. You are very cute, yes? All the women will love you. I wonder if Dr. Weir likes dogs," he mused, running his hand along Pete's back. Then Zelenka stopped suddenly and said, "Hmm... I've heard that dogs make great -- how you call it -- 'chick magnets'." Pete didn't know what a chick magnet was, but he decided he didn't like it because it made the man stop petting him. The dog gave an impatient huff and butted Zelenka's hand to make him continue.

"There you are!" came a familiar shout. Uh-oh. That was his friend Jinto, but Pete wasn't ready to end his exploring yet. He darted away from the approaching footsteps and ran towards an exit on the opposite side of the room.

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"Bugger!" swore Carson as they watched the dog vanish into the distance. They had been so close to catching Pete ("the bloody mutt", as the Scot was beginning to think of him). The longer this took, the more likely it was that Elizabeth would find out before they apprehended him.

Carson looked up to the sound of Zelenka clearing his throat. The Czech engineer looked gleeful. "Friend of yours?" he asked. Carson didn't even bother to dignify that with a response. "Or maybe that is a patient."

"Radek..." the physician growled.

"I have heard you threaten Major Sheppard to get him to behave, but I did not think you would try a cross-species transformation to turn him into German Sheppard. Truly, you are talented geneticist."

A chill crept into the Scottish brogue. "You know, I've been hearing that there's a thrivin' black market in alcohol around here. I'm sure folks would be upset if we found the source and shut it down."

"Ah, yes." said Zelenka. "That would be a pity. It would also be difficult for your staff, having so many people go into withdrawal." But Carson noted that Zelenka stopped the smartass remarks. "So what is the reason for your little friend's visit?"

Carson gestured to Jinto, who explained the day's events thus far. Although Zelenka managed to keep a straight face, it was not without difficulty. Carson said, "Son, I'd appreciate it if you kept this under your hat, so to speak. It wouldn't do to have people panicking about an animal from outer space."

"Of course not," said Zelenka solemnly as the unlikely pair followed Pete out of the jumper bay. Then he snickered. "We also would not want this information to fall into wrong hands." He couldn't wait to hear what happened when Dr. Weir did learn about their new mascot.

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Pete was beginning to feel tired now and his leg was hurting. The puppy was still at an age where he needed frequent naps. He'd eaten and wandered around much of the inhabited parts of the city. But he wished he had paid more attention to where he was going, since now he wanted to go back to the place where his leg had been fixed.

Not knowing what else to do, he pushed onward. Something or someone would surely come along to help him. But the more he walked, the more that the halls began looking like each other. He whimpered softly to himself.

At last he came to the widest doorway he'd ever seen. Pete decided that, no matter what he found inside, he would also find a place to take a nap.

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Elizabeth Weir turned to Peter Grodin. "Did he just say weather forecasting?" Grodin shrugged. Unbeknownst to either of them, they were being watched. It was a predator that hid in the shadows. A predator that crept on all fours. A predator that... panted and slowly wagged his tail.

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After passing through the door to the Gate room, Pete had quickly been overwhelmed by all the sensory inputs. He'd found himself on a balcony surrounded by consoles covered with hundreds of tiny blinking lights. Everything overlooked a giant ring embedded in the floor. He didn't know what to make of any of it. He was used to trees and grass and the flowing stream outside their camp. Although he'd enjoyed himself today, he was ready to go home.

Pete watched the tall two-legged creature dressed in grey. She radiated an air of quiet strength, like the alpha of a pack. Maybe she would be able to help him. But when she showed no signs of even noticing him, he decided he couldn't make it any further without napping a little. He crawled towards a dark room situated off to the side, jumped into a comfortable chair, and promptly fell asleep.

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"Say again, Major Sheppard?" Grodin asked into the radio. He was greeted only by static, and shook his head. "There seems to be atmospheric interference blocking their signal. We can try again in a little while to see if it's cleared."

"Thanks. I'll be in my office until then." Elizabeth began walking, then stopped and looked back. "Have you heard anything about the rumors of something loose on the base? I've heard everything from a rat to a baby kangaroo."

Grodin smirked. "I've heard some, but since most seem to involve Dr. Kavanagh, I didn't put much stock in them."

Elizabeth said in mock reproach, "Be nice, Peter!" Ignoring his muttered "why?", she entered her office, then started to laugh. "You've got to see this!"

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Carson and Jinto entered the Gate room and approached Elizabeth's office. They'd given up trying to find Pete on their own. It was time to bite the bullet, face Dr. Weir, and take it like men. They were prepared for a dressing down, so they definitely did not expect what they found instead.

Elizabeth was sitting on the floor, lightly stroking a sleepy Pete. Pete had rolled over on his back to allow Elizabeth to give him a belly rub. Both of them appeared very relaxed, which was something Carson hadn't seen in Elizabeth for a long time. If he'd known this would help, he would have shanghaied Pete much sooner.

Elizabeth looked up to see Carson and Jinto watching her. Jinto looked surprised, but Carson had a gentle smile on his face. Carson whispered, "Elizabeth, meet Pete. Pete, meet Elizabeth."

She looked up and put a finger to her lips, "Ssh, he's almost completely out." As if in agreement, Pete gave a sleepy-sounding "Wurf?"

The three humans quietly crept out of the office. Once outside, Carson told her, "Pete is Jinto's dog from the mainland. Jinto asked me to treat a cut on his leg."

"He's adorable! But how did he manage to get into my office?" Elizabeth watched as Carson and Jinto looked at each other. "Let me guess, it's a long story."

"Very."

"You can tell me later. Anyway, John and Teyla should be back from their scouting trip in a little while. We'll meet in the briefing room when they get here." She laughed to herself at Carson's and Jinto's almost identical expressions of relief. Did they think that she was going to get mad?

TBC

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A/N

Come on, you didn't really think that Elizabeth was going to bite their heads off? She's gotta miss her dog, Sedge. :-)

Many thanks to those of you who reviewed. Please keep it coming! I live on this stuff.

**gatelover313, kippling croft, Rhin Ariel, nebbyj, PurpleYin**: Isn't he cute? I based him partly on my own dog when she was a pup.

**nebbyj**: I really loved reading James Herriot's books. My favorite is James Herriot's "Dog Stories", appropriately enough.

**rogue1503**: Since the Athosians are farmers, I also would have thought they'd show some of the animals. So I decided to do it myself!

**Merlin71, Belisse, Out of Phase, potterfan**: Thanks! I'm having a lot of fun writing this. It definitely helped pass the time in the airport yesterday when I missed two connecting flights due to delay...

**Emma**: I'm also trying to figure out where this is going. :grins: This is going to be slightly AU, since Carson isn't on the mainland "innoculating wee babies." But it will also be a closer look at our heroes during the events of these episodes

**jennamagig**: I'd love to see your happy dance! ;-) Anyway, glad you like. I was definitely going for cute when I wrote Carson's scenes with Pete.

_All right everyone, fun's over. The whumping begins next chapter!_


	3. Chapter 3

As usual, Elizabeth could hear them even before she saw them. She entered the briefing room to find Rodney and Zelenka in the middle of yet another argument. Someone who didn't know them might think that they couldn't stand each other. And yet she knew that Zelenka was the only person that Rodney would grudgingly admit was "remotely competent."

"Rodney, I am telling you that the jumper is done. And is not just good enough for government work, either."

"Did you check the -- ?"

"Yes."

"You don't even know what I was going to say!"

"It does not matter. I checked everything. I wrote checklist, remember?"

"Yes, yes, but I still think you should..."

Elizabeth took that moment to break into the argument. "Am I interrupting anything important?"

Zelenka snorted. "Important? No. Obsessive-compulsive and annoying? Yes."

"You should talk!"

"Me? What do I do that is obsessive compulsive? Compared to you, I am cool cucumber."

Elizabeth cleared her throat. "Gentlemen, can you possibly go for more than a few minutes without bickering?"

"Probably not," said John as he and Teyla joined the others in the briefing room.

"Thank you, Major, for your enlightened opinion!"

"And good afternoon to you too, McKay." John grinned and sat down at the table.

Before John, Rodney, or Zelenka could say anything else, Elizabeth began the briefing. John zoned out while Rodney and Zelenka explained the physics of hurricane formation, but refocused quickly when Rodney proclaimed that the megastorm was headed right towards the city. Elizabeth looked nervous and asked, "You just said the Ancients experienced these storms every twenty to thirty years. Atlantis must have some sort of precautions put in place?"

"In the past, the Ancients have been protected by the shield or submerged deep enough in the water not to be affected." Rodney replied.

John asked the scientists what other options they had, but was not pleased by Zelenka's response. "Nothing. It is a real threat. The high winds alone will wreak havoc."

Give me a break, thought John. "C'mon guys! This city's been around for a long time."

"Storm surge is inevitable," said Zelenka solemnly.

"Not to mention the fact that by moving over a landmass just before hitting us, the likelihood of tornadoes and electrical activity is greatly increased." Rodney pointed out.

John couldn't believe what he was hearing. Surely a city this technologically advanced could protect itself against a hurricane! He said as much to Rodney.

"The people who built this city knew they had a forcefield capable of holding back anything Mother Nature or, for that matter, the Wraith could throw at them. Without that protection, Atlantis is remarkably fragile."

"Even our conservative calculations project widespread structural damage," said Zelenka.

"Flooding could sink the city entirely," Rodney pointed out.

Ford's eyes seemed to be glazing over at all the technobabble. "How could something as big as Atlantis just sink?" he demanded.

John rolled his eyes at that. "I'm sure the passengers on the Titanic were asking themselves the same question!"

Rodney looked slightly ill. "Well, let's not!"

Elizabeth eventually moved to wrap up the briefing. "All right, what's the plan?" she asked, looking like she was afraid to hear the answer.

Unfortunately, Rodney had no quick response. "By my calculations we have just under, what, twelve hours until the storm hits, so, uh, we plan to _have_ a plan by then."

"Great," Elizabeth muttered under her breath. "OK. Rodney, you and Dr. Zelenka develop your plan. John, you need to find a place where we can evacuate if the worst happens."

"What about the Athosians?" asked Zelenka. "They will be utterly defenseless on the mainland."

"Damn, you're right. Ford, you and Teyla need to fly to the settlement to convince them to evacuate. We'll send as many other jumpers with you as possible." She stopped, as Ford was starting to look apprehensive. "What?"

"Ma'am, who's going to pilot our jumper? I don't have the gene yet."

"Carson's probably your best bet." Seeing Ford's grimace, she put her hands on her hips. "Look, I realize he's a little inexperienced. But this should be a straightforward back and forth trip. You'll be home long before the storm hits."

"At least jumper is working perfectly," said Zelenka smugly.

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John and Rodney went to find Carson in the infirmary. He had been unable to attend the briefing due to a minor accident involving several of the scientists. On the way John wondered what had happened with Pete. However, when he heard the sounds coming from the infirmary he realized he needn't have worried.

Rodney stopped dead in his tracks. "Do I hear barking?" he asked incredulously.

"What barking?" John deadpanned. Suddenly Pete ran past them in a brown and white blur, obviously trying to make a break for it again. With his finely honed pilot's reflexes, John managed to snag the puppy as it was running by. He then found himself having to fend off the dog's eager greeting.

"That barking," Rodney said dryly.

"Oh, you mean that barking. This is Pete. Pete is Jinto's dog, here for a visit." Rodney gave John a look that clearly said he was nuts. "Forget it, you don't want to know. Hey, doc! You've got another runaway!"

Carson appeared in the hallway with them. "What the... How in hell did he get out?" The three men found their answer when they walked back into the infirmary. The door of the crate in which Pete had been placed was open, and from the look of things the dog had used his prehensile tail to lift the latch. John and Carson looked at Pete with newfound respect; Rodney just continued to gape.

"Hmm, this guy would handy to have around for my own jailbreaks," John mused.

"Major, you're already a very bad influence on all my patients. You've almost hopelessly corrupted young Ford. Now you want to lead Pete astray, too?"

Rodney spoke up for the first time. "Carson, did you say 'patient'?" The Scot did not reply, but started to turn red. Inwardly, he began counting the seconds until Rodney came up with some smartass remark. He never even made it to three.

A slow smile crept across Rodney's face. "I had no idea you were a veterinarian, too. Although that does explain a lot."

In a deceptively mild tone of voice, Carson asked, "And just what exactly would it explain, lad?" The gleam in his blue eyes promised Rodney many uncomfortable moments if he didn't tread cautiously.

Rodney, of course, was oblivious to the danger he was in. "Hello, does 'Captain Untouchable' ring any bells here? Your bedside manner needs a ton of work!"

Fortunately, John interrupted and prevented the conversation from deteriorating any further. "Rodney. Storm, remember? Death and destruction and all that."

"Actually, Major, I had quite forgotten. Thank you so much for reminding me of our potential doom!"

Carson was rapidly losing patience. "What are ye both haverin' on about? And do you have to do it here?"

"You're not going to like this," said John. "We've got a bit of an emergency. There's a superhurricane headed for the city and we don't have the shield for protection. If McKay and Zelenka don't come up with something, we're toast."

"That's very disturbing. But what does it have to do with me?"

John leaned against the wall and folded his arms across his chest. "That's the part you're not going to like. Rodney and Zelenka need to stay here and pull something brilliant out of their asses. I'm going to visit some of our allies to find a sofa for all of us to crash on if there's no other choice. And we need all available pilots to help evacuate the Athosians on the mainland."

Carson's face turned several shades paler. "You mean me? They'd be better off taking their chances with the storm!"

"Come on, you're exaggerating. You're not such a bad pilot," John cajoled.

"Major, the last time we flew together you said, and I quote, 'You must have taken driving lessons from Chewbacca the Wookiee'."

"Did I say that out loud?" John grimaced as Carson glared at him. "Yeah, I guess I did. Well, forget I said it. You're at least as good a pilot as that guy in the movie Airplane."

"Surely, you must be joking," Rodney couldn't resist adding. "He isn't even over Macho Grande!" It was John's turn to fix Rodney with a look that promised dire consequences if he didn't shut up.

"Major, I really don't think this is such a good idea," Carson said nervously.

"No choice, Doc."

"All right. But I don't want some jumper-chasing attorney coming after me if I crash!"

"Good man. No one will sue you. Somehow, I don't think the Athosians even know what a personal injury lawsuit is." The physician didn't look very reassured.

John turned to leave, then realized he was still holding Pete. "What should I do with him?"

Carson sighed. "I'll give him back to Jinto before I head to the jumper bay. Now get out of here before I start thinking about interesting things to do on your post-mission physicals."

John and Rodney left the infirmary with unseemly haste.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Pete was confused. He had napped and awoken with a desire to do more exploring. He'd almost managed to sneak away again, but had been snatched up by one of the two-legged creatures, the one with the strange spiky fur on the top of his head. But instead of returning him to his crate, the two-legged guy had stood around and yelled at two other two-legged guys. One of them was the man with gentle hands who'd healed his leg. It was the other one that confused him, the one that almost seemed to vibrate with intensity. This man snapped and bristled, yet his scent held no animosity. Rather, it proclaimed that he considered the others his pack brothers. Pete decided that the two-legged creatures were just weird by nature.

Whoops! With a speed that made Pete dizzy, the spiky-haired guy handed him to the healer. Then the spiky-haired guy and the intense guy left. The healer shook his head as he watched them go, muttering something about being a medical doctor, not a taxi service.

Pete looked soulfully at the healer, hoping to convince him to put him back down on the ground. Pete really wanted to find the intense two-legged guy again. He was intrigued by him.

But the healer wasn't buying the act. "Oh no, lad. Don't you be giving me those puppy-dog eyes. I won't have it. I'm keeping you where I can see you." The healer snagged a few blankets in his free hand, then entered a room off to the side. The room was an utter mess. Papers and books were everywhere, and a large, cluttered desk stood in the center.

Pete watched as the healer arranged the blankets in one corner and then deposited him on them. He settled down to watch the proceeding as the man made preparations for something. Pete wasn't sure what was going on, but he hoped it would be fun. And he still wanted to find the intense two-legged guy.

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A/N

OK, so I lied. The whumping didn't really start this chapter. Don't worry, I'm getting to it.

**Rhin Ariel**: I want one, too. But my landlord won't let me. :-(

**Emma**: Yes, Zelenka definitely has an wicked sense of humor. (When I first saw "Siege 1", I actually thought he said 'You are a miserable little bastard.' I'm glad he didn't, since this just makes him funny without being mean.) As for the whumping, it won't be so bad. Just a little evilness of the Kolya kind.

**NenyaVilyaNenya, Belisse**: I'm really enjoying writing from Pete's point of view, since he's really a smart little guy. If you haven't already read them, read Neuropsych's "Jack and Jaffer" stories in the SG-1 section. Neuropsych does an even better job of writing from a dog's POV.

**Alyssa**: Many more to come!

**Mae, gatelover313**: Elizabeth's definitely a dog person, I agree. It's good to see her relax a little, don't you think? Especially given what's in store for her this episode! (And yes, I totally can't resist the ship.)

**jennamagig**: This is definitely AU. All of the things will happen that need to happen, but they're mixed up a little bit.

TBC (Please R&R, folks!) :-)


	4. Chapter 4

_Not mine, never will be. All characters and locations belong to the show's writers except for Dr. Schwartz. He's mine. All script transcriptions also belong to the show's writers._

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Carson walked toward the jumper bay, carrying a bag of supplies on one arm and Pete in the other. As it turned out, they hadn't been able to leave for the mainland yet. Teyla had contacted her people by radio and found that many of them were scattered away from the settlement. Only now, several hours later, were they finally ready to go.

Carson hadn't minded the delay. He'd been able to secure his experiments in progress and most of the delicate medical equipment. Unfortunately their drug supply was too large to completely waterproof, but if it came to the point that high water reached the infirmary, they were pretty much screwed anyway.

Then he went to talk to Steve Schwartz, who would be in charge while he was gone. Carson had only recently had the necessity to designate a "second in command", so to speak, and Schwartz was proving both capable and dependable. It also helped that Schwartz had been the only one with enough guts to care for the boss when he was ill, and had been able to win most of the ensuing arguments. (Carson remembered one that involved threats of calling security and sedating his ass into the "middle of next week.") Anyone who could do that would have no trouble running the busy medical section.

The two physicians had already discussed the care of the patients currently residing in the infirmary. Fortunately there weren't many, and most were stable enough to be discharged. If and when it became necessary to evacuate, Schwartz would arrange for medical care at their destination.

All of that had taken most of his time. Afterward, Carson tried to find Jinto to give Pete back, but the Athosian boy wasn't in his quarters. There wasn't time to go searching for him, so Carson intended to transfer custody of the dog to Elizabeth. If she was making him fly the blasted jumper, then the least she could do was get Pete back to his owner.

Carson idly wondered what kind of half-brained scheme Rodney and Radek were going to come up with this time.

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Rodney was astounded at the stupidity being demonstrated in front of him. Even Zerenka... Zalunka... whatever the hell his name was, who normally displayed at least rudimentary signs of intelligence, was being particularly dense. "No, no, no, no, no, I've already thought of that!" What was he, talking in Goa'uld or something?

Dr. Z. pointed towards one of the junior scientists -- just another high-IQ redshirt, thought Rodney privately. "He may be onto something."

"I've already thought of it -- it doesn't..." Rodney spent another few minutes re-explaining what he thought he'd already explained several times before.

"We could relocate some of them," Dr. Z. suggested. "Put them closer together."

That was it. Obviously he worked with idiots. "You're right -- if only we had a magical tool that could slow down time. I foolishly left mine on Earth - did you bring yours!"

The little Czech guy didn't like that at all. "You know, you're not pleasant when you're like this, McKay."

"I'm always like this."

"My point exactly."

John and Aiden entered just in time to hear the tail end of the exchange. John looked both self-satisfied and nervous. "Well, I got the green light from Smeadon and the Manarians. I'm not sure how pleased he'll be if we get stuck there, though. That's not going to happen, right?"

"Isn't Smeadon that guy from the Lord of the Rings?" whispered the junior scientist to Ford, who quickly tried to hide his grin.

"Naw, that's Smeagol. But Smeadon and the Manarians sounds like a really cool name for a rock band." At the sound of John clearing his throat, Aiden quickly snapped back to attention. "Are we sure there's no part of the mainland we can go to?" he asked, in what he hoped was an intelligent manner.

"Unfortunately not," said a female voice. Elizabeth, Teyla, and Carson walked into the lab. Carson was empty-handed, but Rodney was amused to note that the collars of his lab coat looked distinctly chewed-on. "Everywhere that we've explored is in the path of the storm," said Teyla. "My people are evacuating even now."

John jumped in again. "Still, Ford's right. I mean, the mainland's the size of North America. You're telling me the entire continent's going to get hit?" Rodney shrugged. "It's just that I'd rather not owe Smeadon any favors."

As usual, Elizabeth looked at the bigger picture. "If we lose Atlantis, we'll be stuck on the mainland without any access to the Stargate."

"Well, McKay will come up with something."

Were they kidding? Were they absolutely out of their so-called minds? Sure, he was a genius. But he didn't have control over the forces of nature -- yet. There were a few things he wanted to experiment with when this was all over...

In the meantime, Rodney hated to disillusion everybody, but, "I will try, but despite what you all may think, I'm not Superman."

Aiden smirked. John gave Rodney his "you've got to be kidding me" look. Then he asked, "Was anyone seriously thinking that?" Jerk.

Elizabeth shook her head, and it seemed like she was about to burst out laughing. Redshirt-boy also shook his head slightly. And just in case the message hadn't been received, Aiden added helpfully, "No, sir."

"Never!" And there was Zalorka, putting his two _ceska koruna_ in.

Heretics, all of them. "Fine!" Rodney snapped. "My point is the storm will affect over seventy percent of the mainland, and Atlantis isn't safe either. If you want everyone to live, you gate them offworld."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

John, Rodney, and Carson left the lab after that final briefing and headed toward their respective destinations. Ford and Teyla had taken a quick detour to Elizabeth's office and would meet Carson at the jumper bay.

"Soooo... come up with anything yet?" asked John innocently.

"In the five minutes since you last asked, not so much!"

"Just checking. Hey Carson, where's your furry little buddy?"

"Och, he's back with Jinto. In theory, he shouldn't be able to get into any more trouble."

Rodney snorted. "In theory. Right."

"Lighten up, Rodney. Don't you like dogs?" John wanted to know.

"No way. Dogs are way too clingy and needy. Always whining, always thinking of food..." Rodney stopped when he noticed John and Carson grinning broadly.

"Oh, very mature, both of you. Insult the guy who's going to pull your nuts out of the fire."

Carson grinned again and slapped Rodney on the back. "But it's so much fun."

"Get serious," Rodney muttered. "I mean, it's not like we're going to die or anything like that."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Wide-eyed, Jinto held Pete in his arms and looked around the large room. He'd seen a large ring like that before, of course, but this was the first time he'd seen some of the accompanying machinery from the City of the Ancestors. It was truly impressive.

Pete, though, was too frightened even to whimper. Even though Jinto was his friend, he hadn't liked it when the healer left him behind. He was starting to feel a sense of wrongness. The air was hot and still, and he could almost feel distant electrical discharges. He was also scared of the blinking lights and the large, round circle with the puddle of water standing on its side.

More and more people were gathered in the room. Many were carrying blankets and supplies. Some of the small children were crying. Pete's fur bristled with the tension. Finally, unable to stand it anymore, he let loose with a mournful howl. Immediately all conversation in the room ceased as everyone turned to look at Jinto and Pete. "Ssshh!" said Jinto, anxiously trying to calm the dog. "You're going to get us into trouble -- again!" He looked anxiously at Dr. Weir.

The alpha-female was staring at them, but Pete didn't care. He felt better after expressing himself, but still knew that something bad was going to happen.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Elizabeth stood on the balcony, looking at the Athosians milling about on the gateroom floor. All the jumpers were back except for Jumper One, which a very reluctant Carson had piloted. She wasn't all that worried yet. Sergeant Markham had told her that the crew of Jumper One was waiting for a few stragglers who were out on a hunt. Still, if they didn't return soon, things were going to get ugly. Already she could see flickers of lightning on the horizon.

"Excuse me, Dr. Weir," said a pleasant baritone off to her side.

Elizabeth jumped a little. "Dr. Schwartz! Is everything all right?"

Schwartz ran a hand through his dark brown hair. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to tell you that things actually went better than I thought. Everyone who couldn't be discharged outright is stable enough to travel, and there are really only one or two that I want to keep a close eye on. No disasters, although I realize that's unusual around this place!"

Elizabeth gave a little laugh. "Just wait. Rodney hasn't told us his plan yet."

"Oh, right. Too soon to relax, then. How are you holding up?"

Elizabeth was struck at how alike he and Carson were. Both with a dry sense of humor, gentle one minute and implacable the next, and with definite mother-hen tendencies. Before she could answer him, though, her thoughts were interrupted by a loud howl. She whirled around, trying to find the enemy, before realizing that it had to be Pete. Sure enough, when she leaned out over the balcony railing, there was Jinto holding the dog.

"What in God's name was that?" Schwartz demanded.

Elizabeth let out a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. "That, Dr. Schwartz, is the most recent patient of our Chief Medical Officer."

"Wow, the kid really has good lungs to make that kind of shriek!"

"Who said anything about Jinto?"

Schwartz looked blank for a minute. Then he shook his head. "Carson treating a dog. That sounds like a story I'd like to hear, if for no other reason than to blackmail him the next time I have to order him to stop working. But now probably isn't the best time."

"Probably not."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The order had come for the Athosians to evacuate through the Stargate. Jinto walked closer and closer to the shimmering puddle in the middle of the ring. With each step, Pete squirmed harder. He didn't care what kind of trouble was going to happen here. He definitely did not want to go into that water! Finally, just as Jinto was stepping into the puddle, Pete jumped out of his arms. He hightailed it out of the gateroom like a bat out of hell.

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A/N

**nebbyj**: -sniff- That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me! Hope this one makes you laugh, too.

**Espiritu, Rhin Ariel, Lennexa**: Yes, Pete's descriptions are certainly accurate. Let's see what he does with our favorite Genii...

**Out of Phase**: Hope you had fun at the beach!

**Belisse**: Before the end of this story, Pete and Rodney will meet. Who gets the upper hand during the encounter is anyone's guess.

**jennamagig**: Definitely a smart dog. He'll need it, too, once our villains show up!

**Emma**: One of the things I like best about this show is the team interaction. You get the sense that each one would lay down his/her life for the rest. If that doesn't make them pack brothers, I don't know what would!

**threegraces**: It's definitely been challenging, trying to weave my storyline in with the episode's. Much harder than coming up with a completely new plot. But fun!

_OK, back to work for me. Please R&R and tell me if there's anything you want to see Pete do or have done to him. Also, any suggestions on what I should have Pete call Ford, Kolya, or Sora?_

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Everyone stood transfixed as the small dog disappeared through the control room doors. "Pete!" yelled Jinto as he started to give chase. A young Marine quickly blocked his path away from the active gate. "I've got to get my dog!"

Elizabeth ran down the steps to the gate area, followed closely by Dr. Schwartz. "What happened?"

"I think the open gate scared him," Jinto said helplessly. "He doesn't like water very much."

"Yeah, I guess it does look kinda like a pool," said Schwartz thoughtfully.

"You can't go after him," Elizabeth told the boy. "It's too dangerous. The storm is almost here."

"But I have to find him. He might get hurt!"

"I'm sure he'll be fine, Jinto," Elizabeth said soothingly, her face betraying none of the dismay she felt. If the dog wasn't in a shielded area of the city when the lightning started, he wouldn't have any chance of surviving. "We'll keep an eye out for him as we finish securing the city."

"But..."

Schwartz glanced at Elizabeth and tilted his head slightly. She nodded, and the doctor put an arm around Jinto's shoulder, distracting him. "You're Jinto, right? My name's Steve." Schwartz led the Athosian boy toward the event horizon. As they stepped through, Elizabeth heard him ask, "So tell me how you and Pete came to see Dr. Beckett?" Then the gate shut down behind them.

Elizabeth shook her head and walked back up the stairs. John and Rodney were waiting for her at the top. "What was that all about?" asked John.

"We're having some issues with our... mascot."

"Are you kidding?" said Rodney. "If he's out in the corridors after the storm really starts, he's going to wind up as a pile of crisped dog hair."

"RODNEY!" yelled John and Elizabeth simultaneously, both with expressions of disgust. "That's just gross," continued John.

"Sorry to offend your delicate sensibilities, Major, but if we don't get to work we're going to join him in the happy hunting ground in the sky!"

John exhaled loudly. "All right," he said to Elizabeth. "Why don't you take Dr. Dolittle here and head to the lab. I'll join you there as soon as I give some last minute instructions to our security guys." As he walked away, John muttered under his breath, "You're all heart, Rodney."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Pete hadn't gone far after running away from the gate. Instead, he hid behind a potted plant and listened to the two-legged creatures. Only the alpha female, the spiky-haired guy, and the intense guy were there. At one point the alpha female and spiky-hair yelled at the intense guy, who responded by waving his arms around and looking fierce. Then the trio separated. After a minute, Pete decided to follow the alpha female's group. Keeping to the shadows, he scooted down the hallway after them.

"You and Dr. Zelenka did a good job coming up with this plan," said Elizabeth, unaware of their small eavesdropper.

"Yes, well, let's not go celebrating just yet. If we can't disable the grounding stations, it's all over." A few minutes later, Rodney admitted grudgingly, "Zelenka's turning out better than I thought."

"So you do know his name!" Elizabeth teased.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I just like getting him all worked up. He says the most amazing things in Czech."

"You understand Czech?"

"No. But it sounds cool, like he's threatening dire retribution."

"He probably is."

Rodney paled. "He wouldn't dare... would he? Oh, God, he would. The man can be downright evil when plotting revenge. He had Kavenaugh on Heightmeyer's couch for weeks. And his hair is almost as scary as Sheppard's..."

Elizabeth interrupted his babbling. "Rodney. You're doing your best. That's all you can do." He just shook his head and ran a hand through his own hair.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Eventually the three two-legged creatures met up with each other again. Pete listened as they discussed something called lightning rods. Intense guy explained to the others that these lightning rods were placed all over the city and fed power into other things called grounding stations. The conversation got very confusing after that, and Pete stopped listening until they appeared to be separating again. The spiky-haired guy was complaining about something. "Wait, wait, wait a second. Are these things even close to a transporter?"

"Uh, yes, Elizabeth's is."

"And mine?"

"It's a brisk walk away."

"And by 'brisk' you mean 'far'."

"By 'walk', I mean 'run'."

Spiky-hair gave intense guy a very dirty look. "Fine."

Pete decided to follow the intense guy. He was still intrigued by his scent. There was fear, but it was covered by a stronger odor of determination. Pete had never come across anything like it before.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rodney paced back and forth in front of the grounding station he'd just disabled. "Come on, come on," he chanted under his breath. Suddenly he heard a muffled crash that made him jump. "What the hell was that?" he yelped.

Rodney peered around all sides of the grounding station but found nothing. Then he caught sight of movement out of the corner of his eye. He silently crept toward it, hand on his pistol...

... and Pete jumped out at him, tail furiously wagging. "Jesus, don't do that to me!" Rodney screeched. He started to turn away, then remembered that Pete wasn't supposed to be there. Rodney reached over to pick up Pete, but the dog thought it was a game and jumped back, still wagging his tail.

"I don't have time for this!" grumbled Rodney. "Don't you understand how important it is for me to finish my work?"

Pete barked happily.

"You're just as annoying as those suicidal little kids back on M7G-677."

John's voice crackled over Rodney's headset. "McKay, who the hell are you talking to?"

"An invisible white rabbit," Rodney replied sarcastically. There was silence from the headset for a minute. "Actually, Major, I'm talking to a dog. One that Carson was supposed to have taken care of."

"Well, did you try to grab him?"

"Of course I did. But he dodged, and is now sitting there laughing at me." Rodney glared at Pete, who did look somewhat amused.

"All right, just ignore him and he'll follow you."

"Fabulous. Is that the way you deal with all your problems, Major?"

The door of the transporter next to the grounding station opened and Elizabeth walked out. "There you are," said Rodney.

"There I am," Elizabeth agreed. She looked around. "Where's Pete?"

Rodney pointed. "Right over... there." He swore under his breath when he saw the empty corridor. "Well he was, anyway."

"Glad everyone's having such a good time!" shouted John above the sound of the rising wind. "I'm at the grounding station. What do I do?"

"There's a keypad right on the console of the station," said Rodney, now all business.

"Got it."

"Punch in the Ancient equivalent of 0-3-1-5-4-7. That do it?"

"Yeah!"

"Good. They all seem to have the same separation code, so get to the next one and repeat the procedure. We'll meet you in the control room."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Pete was disappointed when he looked back to find that no one was following him. Didn't these two-legged creatures know how to play? He headed back in the direction of the room with the large circle. Maybe the water would be gone by now and people there would be more willing to play with him.

He stopped at the door to the big room, and the hair on his back began to bristle. Something wasn't right in there. Suddenly he heard loud, cracking sounds followed by two thuds. Then a whiny female voice said, "These men could have been overpowered. We need the Atlanteans to be cooperative."

The answering male voice was chilling in its barely restrained power and violence. "Secure the room," it said simply.

"Cover the entrances!" whiny-voice said. Pete retreated into the shadows when he heard the sound of booted footsteps approaching him. As he waited, however, the alpha female and intense guy arrived. To no avail, he tried to get their attention as they walked past him and into the large room.

"What the hell is going on?" demanded alpha-female. Pete risked poking his head around the corner and found his two friends surrounded by identically-dressed people who pointed stick-like objects at them.

"Dr. Elizabeth Weir," said the deep male voice, which belonged to an imposing two-legged creature with hooded eyes and grey fur on the top of his head.

"Yes."

"And you must be Dr. McKay." The deep male voice was conversational.

The whiny voice belonged to a female with curly reddish head-fur. "That is him."

"Where is Major Sheppard? I would like to know the whereabouts of Major Sheppard."

Pete was scared as he looked at the scene playing out before him. His alpha-female friend appeared calm, but smelled very nervous. "You seem to know a lot about us. Who are you?"

"There is only one thing you need to know, Dr. Weir." The deep male voice was suddenly menacing. "As of right now, we are in control of Atlantis."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N: _I didn't know this, but apparently Robert Davi started training as an opera singer, but had to stop because of a problem with his voice. I think that's kinda cool._

**Purpleyin**: Rodney may bristle, but he doesn't really bear any ill will toward anyone, except maybe Kavenaugh. Forgive the pun, but he's "all bark".

**Belisse, Out of Phase**: Kolya and Pete? There will definitely be some tension between them.

**Orka**: Sorry, I know this is probably not what you meant when you said update faster...

**Emma**: Ford as another pup has definite potential.

**threegraces**: Thanks! I'm really glad you're enjoying.

**jen**: How many people are writing a fic from a dog's POV? There can be only one! ;-)

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: This one's a little darker, folks. It's got Rodney meeting Kolya's friend with the knife._

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Pete didn't know what to do. He was scared of the menacing two-legged creature! But he knew that his friends were in danger. Alpha Female and Intense Guy were surrounded by the two-legged creatures in gray. Two other two-legged creatures lay motionless on the ground near the large circle. Pete was afraid his friends would be hurt, too.

He stayed hidden as the menacing guy walked back inside from a balcony. Pete saw that Alpha Female was scared, but she tried not to let it show. "Who are you?" she demanded.

"Commander Acastus Kolya of the Genii. This Atlantis is extraordinary, more than I ever imagined." Pete thought that he seemed almost greedy.

Alpha Female, as befit her position in the pack, was worried about her pack brothers and sisters. "What have you done with the rest of my people?"

"I'm quite sure they have no idea we're even here."

"Then they're safe," she persisted.

"Yes."

Now that the most important question had been answered, Alpha Female wanted to know more about the two-legged creatures in gray. Pete approved. A hunter should learn everything possible about the prey before attacking. And he had no doubt that Alpha Female would fight to protect her pack.

"How were you able to bypass the shield?"

Menacing Guy was growing impatient. "With a time-tested combination of strong drink and a weak mind," he replied in a crisp tone.

Alpha Female stepped forward. Pete sensed that she was about to strike the first blow. Since she did not have claws or sharp teeth, he didn't know how she would attack.

She spoke again. "There was a time when our two people considered becoming allies. Why are you doing this?" Her tone was conversational and attempted to lull the listener, to convince him that of course his actions made no sense. Her voice promised forgiveness without any questions if he would only be reasonable. In short, she was using her voice, and her words, as a weapon.

Unfortunately, Menacing Guy resisted the attack. "You're in possession of supplies we vitally need. Hand them over without difficulty and we'll leave peacefully."

_Liar_, thought Pete. Alpha Female sounded skeptical, too. "Or?" she asked.

"We're both intelligent people, Dr. Weir. I'm sure there's no need for me to demonstrate once again the strength of my resolve."

At that threat, Pete jumped up so quickly he bumped into a wall with a thump. If he had to, he would fight to protect his pack leader! Menacing Guy heard the noise, though. "What was that?" he snapped. Alpha Female looked at Intense Guy, who shrugged.

"I don't know," she said.

"Jumping at shadows?" sneered Intense Guy -- bravely, but stupidly, in Pete's opinion.

Menacing Guy took a step forward, a deadly look in his eyes. Alpha Female quickly stepped in and tried to distract him. "Which supplies did you have in mind?" she asked.

"All of your stores of the C4 explosive, all of your medical supplies, the Wraith data device you stole from my people, and one of your ships."

Ooh, Pete knew the healer would not be happy about the second item. He'd complained a lot about wasted supplies after Pete had chewed up several bandages and swabs. (Oh well, it had been fun anyway.) Intense Guy, who apparently didn't know when to keep his mouth shut, said, "Is that all!"

"No. Where is Major Sheppard?"

For a minute, Alpha Female looked and smelled even more scared than she already was. Then she calmed. "He's on the mainland," she lied easily. "What you're asking for is not easy. We've had to divert a lot of power in order to prepare for the storm. The armory's safety doors have shut, which means we can't..."

Menacing Guy stopped her in mid-sentence. "I know a lie," he cautioned. Obviously he didn't completely know a lie, Pete thought, because the two-legged creature with the spiky hair was still in the city.

There was a brief interchange involving Intense Guy's leaning on the console. Then Alpha Female said defiantly, "Your request is unreasonable. And you can't possibly need all our C4, all our medical supplies."

Menacing Guy told her that she wasn't in any position to tell him what was reasonable, then sent her away to fetch some of the supplies. After that, he turned and stepped closer to Intense Guy. "What are you doing here?"

"My understanding -- I'm being held hostage." Intense Guy was certainly being very snarky.

Menacing Guy almost smiled at that. "I mean here in Atlantis. Why did some of you stay behind?"

"Oh. I was helping with things," Intense Guy said nervously.

"Like what?"

"You know, make sure everyone got out okay." Pete thought he was a lousy liar.

"Isn't that the work of someone... less important?"

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" Intense Guy tried to laugh, but it fell flat.

"You have a plan, don't you?"

"I've got lots of plans about lots of things."

"I'm interested in the plan you have to save the city." Menacing Guy looked... well, menacing.

"I never said anything about saving anything," stammered Intense Guy.

Menacing Guy put his hand on Intense Guy's shoulder. It was the same gesture Pete had seen the healer use, but the context was frighteningly different. "Not yet," he said as he nodded to another gray-clad two-legged creature. The other one pulled out a long knife. Pete thought that both he and Intense Guy gasped at the same time.

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Menacing Guy and the one holding the knife had taken Intense Guy into a small room with a long table and lots of chairs surrounding it. It took a long time for Pete to sneak his way over to the room, but he finally got there. Intense Guy sat in a chair, one sleeve of his jacket in shreds. Fortunately, there was no blood... yet.

Menacing Guy walked around the table, his hands clasped behind his back. "Dr. McKay, why aren't you telling me everything? You have to know we're going to hurt you for that."

"I'm not telling you squat!"

Menacing Guy shook his head in mock regret. "You brought this on yourself." He nodded to the guy with the knife, who sauntered over.

"As a scientist, Dr. McKay, you should appreciate this." He slowly drove the knife point deep into Intense Guy's upper arm. Blood welled up around the wound. "The main nerve for the whole arm spirals around the bone close to here." He demonstrated by stabbing the knife into a nearby muscle. "Very close to where I am now. If I slip..." he flashed a nasty smile. "A little medical knowledge is a wonderful thing, isn't it."

Intense Guy gritted his teeth and refused to let on how much it hurt. "Medicine... is not... science!" he snarled.

The two-legged creature with the knife _tsk_'ed. "Now what would your Dr. Beckett think if he heard you say that?"

Pete thought he was going to be sick. He gave a little whimper as he compared the pain of his own cut leg to what his two-legged friend must be going through. At the sound, Menacing Guy whirled around. "What are those noises?" he snarled.

That gave Pete an idea.

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The cutting had stopped for the moment, and for that Rodney was grateful. When the initial stab had failed to make him divulge any information, the bastard had continued his work enthusiastically. Eventually, as he had known he would, Rodney told them about his plan.

Kolya and the other guy were now huddled together at the other end of the room, no doubt discussing how they could use the information they'd pried out of him. Suddenly Rodney heard four more thumps, each louder than before. Both he and Kolya looked around for the source of the noise, but found nothing.

Then there came a threatening growl from one of the emergency doors of the conference room, which now stood open a crack. Looking into the shadows, Rodney saw a dim shape with bristling fur. As he watched, the shape puffed up to almost twice its size and growled again. Rodney inhaled sharply as he realized what it must be. Now, he just had to play his cards right.

Kolya strode over, obviously having heard the growl and seen Rodney's reaction to it. "You know what that was," he said in a dangerously low voice. "Tell me!"

"I... I really don't know," Rodney quavered, hoping it sounded convincing.

Without taking his eyes off Rodney, Kolya snapped his fingers and the knife-wielding thug approached. "Okay, okay," Rodney said quickly. "There's a chance, a very small chance, that one of our, um, Athosian nighthounds got loose in the chaos."

"Athosian nighthounds," Kolya repeated disbelievingly.

"Yeah. Real nasty things, too." Almost as if on cue, they heard the growl again, then footsteps running away. "Oh, and I forgot to mention that one of them had a hurt leg that Beckett was treating. That made the thing even meaner..."

Kolya abruptly held up his hand to stop Rodney's flow of words. "Enough! We'll find it. But I wouldn't try anything stupid if I were you. There are at least a dozen armed men still in the control room." The two Genii left and Rodney sighed in relief.

After a minute, Pete popped into the room, having doubled back after growling and running away. He ran over to Rodney and flopped down at his feet. "Thanks, I owe you one," Rodney said. Somehow, he didn't feel quite so dumb talking to a dog now. Hesitantly, he reached down and gave Pete a quick pat on the head. The dog panted happily in response.

"Right. Now we have to figure out how to get rid of the Genii, get to the grounding stations, and save the city. How can we do that with those thugs outside? I don't think the growling diversion will work again -- very scary-sounding growl, by the way. Good job on that." Rodney paused for a second, then snapped his fingers several times. "We need to get Major Sheppard. You know, tall guy, bad attitude and worse hair. You've got to tell him... Wait a minute. What am I doing? I'm talking to a dog. A clever dog, but a dog nonetheless. No offense, pal. Oh God, I think I've lost too much blood." He finally stopped his rambling when his head hit the conference room table.

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Elizabeth couldn't believe what she saw when she returned from gathering the supplies the Genii insisted on. Rodney looked awful. His arm was covered with blood and he appeared woozy. "What did they do to you?"

"I tried to keep my mouth shut," he said miserably. "I tried - I just couldn't..." He stopped as Kolya walked over, holding a two-way radio and looking furious.

"What's the meaning of this?" the Genii leader demanded.

"I honestly have no idea," said Elizabeth.

"It's a radio," Rodney said sarcastically. "The arrow points to the 'talk' button."

Kolya held up the radio, pushed the button, and identified himself. Both Rodney and Elizabeth were incredibly relieved to hear John's voice coming from the other end. "Kolya -- that's a hard name to pronounce. Is that a first name? My name's Major John Sheppard and I have hidden the C4 where you will never -- I repeat, never -- find it."

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After he heard the spiky-haired guy's voice coming from the black box, Pete realized that this was who Intense Guy wanted him to find. He sniffed the floor outside the control room until he found the right scent. Then he ran off in pursuit. Along the way he dodged more of the creatures in gray, and at one point heard the whiny female voice complaining about something. Finally he reached a platform overlooking the ocean. The spiky-haired guy was there, but he was not alone. Two of the gray creatures were hidden around a corner from him, pointing the deadly-looking sticks at him.

Suddenly, one of the gray-clad creatures ran towards the spiky-haired guy. Loud thunder-like claps could be heard, and then the second guy ran out. There were more thundering noises, and then silence. When Pete looked out at the balcony, he saw the spiky-haired guy standing next to something that was broken and sparking. The two creatures in gray were down on the ground. The spiky-haired guy spoke slowly and deliberately into another of the black boxes. "Let me tell you what you did wrong here, Kolya. A: you lost two of your men. B: you damaged the switch before I could separate the grounding rods, which I'm sure you're gonna get an earful from McKay for; and C: you lost all of what little credibility you had with me."

Pete could hear Intense Guy yelling through the black box.

"I guess we're even!" shouted Spiky-Haired Guy.

Time seemed to slow as Pete heard the next words from the box. "Say goodbye to Dr. Weir!"

Spiky-Haired Guy looked at the black box, almost in a panic. "The city has a self-destruct button. You hurt her, I'll activate it. Nobody'll get Atlantis." After a pause, he yelled desperately, "I'll give you a ship! I'll fly it out of here for you myself. Kolya?... KOLYA!"

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**fififolle**: As we saw, Pete's definitely going to be looking out for his friend Rodney.

**Livy1213, Orka**: Now the fun really starts!

**Belisse**: Isn't Pete a great judge of character? ;-) He's finished Round 1 versus Kolya, stay tuned...

**threegraces**: Biting is a good thought...

**Emma**: They're definitely making progress with Elizabeth as a strong female character. Not sure about Sora, but you're right in that the deck seems stacked against her.

TBC (_fade to black... but I won't make you wait several months)_

_Please R & R..._


	7. Chapter 7

For a minute, nobody moved. Rodney stared in horror at the weapon Kolya was pointing at Elizabeth. Thoughts raced through his mind, foremost among them the firm belief that the expedition would not survive the death of Elizabeth Weir. On the surface, they would be able to carry on. All the components of the body would remain intact -- with himself as the brain, of course! -- but the force animating it would be gone.

He absolutely could not let that happen.

The tableau was broken when John's voice screamed from the radio. "Kolya! Kolya, don't do this!" Kolya gave no indication he'd even heard. He just raised the gun, with no more expression on his face than a machine.

"How is this going to help you get what you want?" Elizabeth asked, her voice betraying only a hint of the terror she must be feeling.

"Sheppard put you in this position, not me," Kolya said calmly. His finger began to tighten on the trigger.

For once in his life, Rodney acted completely on instinct. "You can't do this! This is crazy, you need her!" He stepped between Elizabeth and the gun, body tensed for the impact of a bullet. Encouraged by Sora's agreement and the fact that he was still alive, he continued his attempt at persuasion. Rodney screamed anything that came into his mind, including a bluff about codes for the shields. "You can't do it without her!"

Kolya's pistol shifted minutely, the barrel now aimed at Rodney.

Rodney gulped. This was bad. He raised his hand in a gesture of placation and continued to yell in a somewhat lower voice. "Well, you can't do this without me, either. I mean, we're a package deal. You take us out of the equations and... and... you don't have an endgame!" He stopped when he realized all the Genii were staring at him perplexedly. "Um, granted, that's a chess term." Then Rodney mentally kicked himself. Of course they wouldn't know what chess was. "My point is... we're the only ones who can fix the grounding station, we're the only ones who can activate the shields, we're the only ones who can solve problems I can't even think of yet! You kill either one of us, and you don't get what you want."

Kolya slowly lowered his gun as he apparently realized the truth of Rodney's words, and an expression of frustration passed over his features. Not noticing, Rodney plowed ahead. "That's how important we are!"

Elizabeth gently interrupted his frantic tirade. "Rodney, he gets it."

Rodney exhaled slowly and turned towards their unexpected benefactor. "I appreciate..."

Sora didn't want to hear it. "You're an asset we need to complete this mission," she said crisply. Then she turned on her heel and walked away.

Elizabeth's eyes searched Rodney's face for a long minute. "You stood in front of a gun for me," she said softly and disbelievingly.

Rodney winced as an ill-timed movement jarred his injured arm. "Don't thank me just yet. We have two and a half hours before the storm hits, and unless our luck changes drastically, this city is going to be obliterated."

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Pete huddled in the scant shelter that one of the overhangs provided and watched as the spiky-haired guy changed from easygoing to lethal predator. Where there was previously a perpetual glint of humor in his eyes, there was now only ice and steel. His smirk was gone, replaced by thin-lipped determination. Whatever he was before, this one was now pure wolf.

Crackling noises emerged from the black box the spiky-haired warrior was carrying. Then the menacing voice came through again. "Major Sheppard. How's this for credibility? Weir is dead."

Pete wanted to howl and the spiky-haired guy turned to stone. Neither of them moved a muscle as they stood in the rain and wind. The spiky-haired guy projected grief and rage, and he said into the black box with a snarl, "I. Am. Going. To. Kill. You."

The menacing guy's next words were drowned out by the crashing of the waves, but the spiky-haired warrior looked like he wanted to smash the black box. Instead, he stared out into the storm, clenching and unclenching his jaw. Finally he ran away from the ruins of the sparking panels and almost ran straight into Pete.

Man and dog both expressed surprise, the man with a curse and the dog with a yelp. "What the hell are you doing here?" hissed the spiky-haired guy. "I could have killed you!" Pete looked at him mournfully, sad at the death of the alpha female and scared for his other friends.

"Go on, get out of here! It isn't safe." The spiky-haired guy made shooing motions with his hands, but Pete made no move to leave. "I don't have time for this!" he snapped. When the dog still didn't budge, the spiky-haired guy bent down until his eyes were almost level with Pete's. "Listen, buddy, I need your help. I need to get rid of the bad guys, but someone needs to keep an eye on McKay so that he can save the city. Can you do that for me?"

The spiky-haired guy thought Pete was a fellow warrior! He definitely wanted to help. He barked once and took off at a run. But he was still able to hear the spiky-haired guy say, "Try not to get hurt. Then everyone will try to kill me, not just Kolya."

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Pete wasn't sure where he would find his other friend. There were multiple scent trails, some new and some old. Because Intense Guy said he could fix anything, Pete thought that he might come to the platform with the broken panels. Therefore if he waited in the area, the intense guy might come to him.

While he was waiting, Pete saw and heard things that would haunt his puppy nightmares. He saw some of the gray-clad people wandering around carrying the stick weapons. As he watched one of them suddenly clutched his throat as a large spot of red blossomed there. Then the man fell to the ground and didn't get up again. A second later, Pete heard a loud noise and saw things flashing down from the ceiling. The other two men dropped, and Pete kept as far away from the bodies as he could.

Finally he heard the familiar footsteps of intense guy and menacing guy. But he also heard something else that he couldn't believe: the alpha female. Could she still be alive? Yes, she was! She looked tired and upset, but she was alive. Menacing guy had lied.

Now Pete was really angry. Both he and the spiky-haired guy seriously believed that the alpha female had been killed, and they had both been determined to hunt down her killer. Pete was extremely glad to see her alive, but he hated the menacing guy even more for manipulating him. So he waited until the footsteps were almost on top of him, then jumped into the menacing guy's path, intent on hurting him.

But the first thing that Pete became aware of after confronting the menacing guy was that the man was huge. The second thing that he realized was that he was very very small in comparison. He arched his back and raised his hackles again, then let loose with the scariest-sounding snarl he had ever voiced.

Menacing guy looked at Pete for a minute, then smirked. He drew his pistol and fired at Pete in a single movement. The bullet missed the dog and struck the wall next to him, but Pete yelped loudly and retreated down the hall. Menacing guy turned to his prisoners and said, "This is an Athosian nighthound?"

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This one's for all of you who wanted to see more of "action Pete, the Athosian nighthound" and his sidekicks, Rodney and John. :-)

A short chapter, but necessary to move things forward.


	8. Chapter 8

Once he saw that Menacing Guy wasn't looking for him, Pete continued to follow behind the party at a discreet distance. His friends were talking to each other in low voices, but he could hear some of it. It sounded like they were being forced to do something they didn't want to do.

Pete was listening so intently that he jumped when he heard the whiny voice come out of the black box Menacing Guy was holding. "Laden has been leading three of our men on a reconnaissance mission. It seems Major Sheppard has killed three more of our strike team."

Intense Guy looked interested at that remark, but his expression quickly changed to one of disgust and barely concealed fear as they walked out onto the same platform that the spiky-haired guy had occupied earlier. "Oh, would you look at this!" yelled Intense Guy, pointing at the sparking panel. "That is just never going to be useful again!" He mumbled to himself for a minute, then said, "I should be able to bypass this switching station entirely.

"Tell everyone to fall back to the control room," said Menacing Guy into the box. "And watch out for any 'nighthounds'," he added wryly. Then he turned back to Intense Guy and demanded, "How long to fix it?"

"It's not half as bad as it looks. I'd say 15-20 minutes tops."

"Do it!"

"Dr. Weir, I need you to..." Intense Guy and Alpha Female huddled around the broken panel, and Menacing Guy was again talking into his black box. Pete took the opportunity to inch closer to his friends and listen to what they were saying.

"Why did you tell him you could have this fixed in 15-20 minutes?" asked Alpha Female.

Intense Guy's face turned red and he looked like he was going to start jumping up and down. "Oh, I don't know... maybe... uh... SO HE WOULDN'T KILL US!"

"I understand that. But once the shield is operational, we won't be very useful, now will we?"

The expression on Intense Guy's face would have been funny if the situation weren't so tense. "Well, why did you let me tell him I could fix it in 15-20..." he demanded, as if it hadn't been all his idea.

Alpha Female interrupted firmly. "You'll just have to stall him some more."

"Well, I just told him how long it would take!"

Alpha Female seemed ready to cuff him like a pup. "Well, find another problem with it! Tell him that the power-loop interface isn't jiving with your walkabout! The dog ate your power coupler! Anything!"

Pete's ears perked up. Food?

"Isn't jiving!"

"Rodney, you get my point! Look, from the sounds of it... if we can buy Sheppard enough time it seems he can take care of the rest of them on his own."

Intense Guy muttered under his breath as his hands worked. "Stupid Genii. Crazy, dumbass stormtroopers. Hey, why don't we take hostage a city that's about to be destroyed! Great idea!" He paused for a minute as if his mind went temporarily elsewhere. "Hmm, getting the dog involved really could be interesting..."

Pete was about to run over to Intense Guy to show him he could help, but then he heard the familiar sound of heavy footsteps and jumped back. "Radio Chief Cowen, tell them to send reinforcements," said Menacing Guy. "If you're hoping Major Sheppard can diminish our numbers, you are mistaken."

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Pete wasn't sure what to do now. Menacing Guy was threatening two of his friends, and the third had become a fierce predator. Pete really did want to help, but just didn't know how. And truth be told, he was getting tired again. He decided to go back to the large room with its many big boxes. If he couldn't find anyone else there, at least he could find a place to nap for awhile.

When Pete got there, though, sleep became the farthest thing from his mind. High up in the cavernous room a door was opening. Slowly, one of the giant boxes floated down from the sky until it almost touched the ground. Then, with a crunch and a thump, it landed. Pete could hear loud voices coming from within the box. Among the few words he could make out were "worst landing ever!"

Then the door of the box slid open and he recognized the voice of the healer. "Don't you think you're exaggerating a wee bit now, Lieutenant?"

"No!"

Teyla walked out of the box with another two legged creature who couldn't be much more than a pup himself. They looked around to make sure they were alone, and then the healer emerged from the box, too. "Where are we going, then?"

"Armory." said the young pup firmly.

"Are you sure that's what we sh..."

Pete watched as Young Pup tried to assert his dominance. "You know you're always saying that your not military? You don't have to take orders?"

"Aye," said the healer warily.

"Now you do." Young Pup handed one of the fire-breathing sticks to the healer, who looked at it like it were a deadly snake.

The three two-legged creatures crouched and started to move to the exit of the large room. "So long as it's temporary," muttered the healer.

The three moved quickly, and Pete was unable to keep up. The last thing he heard from them was, "These wee dots don't tell us much about who's who. How do we know which one's the Major?"

"He'll be the dot getting rid of the other dots."

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The next place Pete decided to try was the room with the big ring. He felt like he was walking around and around in circles without being able to do anything other than watch his friends suffer, and this frustrated him greatly. His mood did not improve when he arrived to find the room still full of the gray-clad two-legged creatures. Whiny-voice was here in person this time, talking to someone who knew how to operate the stuff in the room. "How many should we expect?" she asked.

"A full company... sixty or more. I don't know how we were expected to take a facility this size with any less."

Pete watched as the ring began to light up and make noise. Then the puddle that had scared him so much appeared. Whiny-voice and two others approached the ring, whereas the machine operator remained on the upper level to speak into his own black box. "Reinforcements are arriving now, Commander."

Pete was not surprised to hear Menacing Guy's voice again. "Have them secure Stargate operations and report back to me."

"Yes, Commander." He turned suddenly and caught sight of Pete before the dog had a chance to hide. The two stared at each other, then Pete allowed his tail to droop. He whimpered quietly and looked at the two-legged creature mournfully. He also prepared to roll over on his back if it became necessary.

Fortunately, it didn't. The two-legged creature relaxed and smiled slightly. "You're that hound I've been hearing so much about. You don't look that ferocious. In fact, you're rather cute." He bent down to scratch Pete behind the ears. As he stood up, the spiky-haired guy jumped out of hiding and hit him in the face, knocking him unconscious.

The spiky-haired guy shook his head at Pete. "Thanks for the set-up, but I thought I told you to stay out of the way. Jeez, you must be taking lessons from Rodney. Neither of you listen to me!" Then he rushed toward a panel of controls and started pushing buttons, stopping when a shimmering curtain of light appeared in front of the puddle. Whiny-voice looked up as flashes of light began coming from the ring.

"Shut it off, Laden... STOP HIM!" The spiky-haired guy and the gray-clad creatures pointed their sticks at each other. Small metal objects were propelled from the ends and ricocheted off railings and consoles. Whiny-voice yelled frantically into her black box. "This is Sora. Stop sending the reinforcements. The Stargate shield has been raised!" But after a few more minutes of the flashing lights, the ring shut down.

"It's no use, it's over. The gate has shut down... there are no more men coming."

Menacing Guy's voice from the box was angry. "How many men made it?"

"Five. Five of sixty."

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**Belisse**: You just might get your wish!

**nebbyj**: Dog, hound, whatever. Pete doesn't care what you call him as long as you don't call him Kavenaugh! ;-)

**jennamagig, flah7**: Happy to oblige...

**nightpheonix**: This is definitely a new perspective! I don't think the writers have tried anything with a dog yet. LOL

TBC


End file.
